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FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT

FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT

Brothers and Sisters,

The theme of Advent is that we can deepen our awareness of God’s love for us by living this awareness of God throughout Advent this year. “Watch.” We want God to find us always doing what is right, always mindful of Him in our ways. We can only do that if we take time to be with Him each day.

The Prophet Isaiah reminds us in the first reading that there is no God like our God. Sometimes we think that there are no competing gods today. Instead, we can open our eyes and see so many realities competing to be god, so many people who play at being god, and so many values that seem godlike to the present age.

It is important that we realize that only faithfulness to the One, True God will bring us peace and a wonderful human life. Faith never promises to make us wealthy or powerful—it actually promises the opposite. What faith does promise is that our life will be filled with joy in knowing the Lord and living His divine life.

The second reading on this First Sunday of Advent is from the First Letter to the Corinthians. In this letter we can focus on these words: “God is faithful, and by him you were called to fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.” God is faithful. We are not faithful, but God remains faithful. God calls us to fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ. We are called to share the life of Jesus Christ. Again we can reflect that living the life of Jesus Christ means to embrace poverty, to accept suffering, to serve all others and especially those who reject us. Sharing in this life brings incredible joy, even when it does not bring immediate happiness— which is what our world wants us to seek.

The Gospel from Saint Mark reminds us once again: keep alert and keep watching for the Lord! It is so easy today to accept the values of the world. At times those values seem even more compassionate than Gospel values. We have to recognize that doing right is not the same as feeling good about ourselves or about others. One of the great gods of our time is the demand that we always feel good, that we seek momentary happiness, above the values of the Gospel and the Scriptures.

May this Advent deepen our faith and help us understand and live what the Scriptures reveal to us. May we find ourselves drawn deeper into the heart of the Church founded by Jesus Christ. It is not easy to stand against the false gods of our time, but we have receive the invitation to walk with the Lord Jesus.